Repeating attachment



Dec. 18,1923. BAWZGSS H. L. MILLER REPEATING ATTACHMENT Filed Nov. 17. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ff. L 1% 17/97".

Dec. 18,1923.

H. L. MILLER REPEATING ATTACHMENT Fatented Dec. 18, 1923.

iairan stares earner orrica.

HARRY LAWRENCE IvIILLEE, OF ALLENTOVI N, PENNSYLVANIA.

REPEATI NG ATTACHMENT.

Application filed November 17, 1922.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY L. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Allentown, in the county of Lehigh and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Repeating Attachments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the art of sound reproducing instruments of the type wherein is provided a turn table having a spindle adapted to receive a record disk and a tone arm adapted to swing across the disk and carry a sound reproducer with a needle for engaging the disk to reproduce the record made.

Primarily the invention has for its object to produce a simple, inexpensive, neat and reliable device, and automatic in its action, for lifting the sound box needle off the record at the conclusion of the recorded matter and restoring the needle in contact with the sound groove of the record at its place of beginning, over and over again, so long as the record disk is rotated by the turn table and the attachment is left in it operative position.

The invention essentially comprises an element which is mounted on the record disk over the center post, a second element attached to the base of the machine and an intermediate element attached to the second element and adapted to be brought into operative relation with the first element by means of a small adjusting arm moved with the sound boX for operating a trip, mounted on the intermediate element and adapted to be moved into engagement with the rotating record disk, whereby the motion of the disk will bring the intermediate element into engagement with that portion of the first element which elevates one end of the intermediate element and elevates the needle from the record to allow the sound box and.

Serial No. 601,609.

trate the preferred embodiment of my invention and in which:

.Figure l is a perspective view illustrating the invention in use.

Figure 2 is a detailed elevation showing tion of its travel under the influence of gravity.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the invention in use. Figure 4 is an enlarged top plan view and part horizontal section showing in full lines the normal or playing position and in dotted lines the position which the intermediate element assumes when the trip has beei. actuated by the adjusting arm on the sound box, the adjusting arm being indicated in doted lines at the initial position and in dot and dash lines near the concluding position.

Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the first element or cam cylinder showing the commencement of the elevating cam and the termination of the lowering cam.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 showing the termination of the elevating cam and the commencement of the lowering cam and their relation to the lift groove at the top of the cam cylinder.

Figure 7 isa detail diagrammatical elevation of the adjusting arm showing the in termediate element in cross section and indicating by arrows the directions of the thrust.

Figure 8 is a detail perspective View of the adjusting arm.

In the drawings, in which like numerals of reference designate like parts in all of the figures, 1 designates the first element which I shall hereinafter call the cam cylinder, (the form whether cone-shaped or straight is immaterial). Essentially the cam cylinder comprises a body 1 on a base 2 which is apertured at 36, see Figures 3 and 4, to fit over the center port 37 of the turn table 38 of the phonograph. The cam cylinder 1 rests on the record disk 39, see Figures 1, 2 and 3. The base of the cam cylinder 1 is provided and formed with an upturned flange 3, thereby constituting a circular channel at for a purpose presently understood, and beginning in this channel and extending upwardly and spirally around the body 1 of the cam cylinder is an elevating cam 5, 6, the entrant end 5 of which lies adjacent to the body 1 and extends upward from the groove 4: to its exit end 6 which merges with the top spiral groove 7 on the upper end of the cylinder 1. A passage 8 is provided for a purpose presently understood. I

The groove 7 has its beginning adjacent to the body 1 where the upper end 6 o f the elevating cam merges with the groove. 7, the entrant end of the said groove 7 being nearer the center or axis of the cam cylinder than is its exit end 9. The exit end 9 is so arranged as to oppose the entrant end 10 of the descending cam 10 -11, the dis charge end 11 of which is spaced somewhat from the bottom' of the channel or groove 4:, see Figuresfiand .6.

12 isa screw standard which constitutes the second element of my device and it is provided with a head 13 by which it may be turned on its swivel bearing 14 in the base 15, the latter being secured tothe base of the phonograph, as best shown in-,Figure 1.

The intermediatemember 17 consists of a light rod which is pivoted-at 18 to a threaded body 16 mounted on the standard 12vand susceptible. of up and down adjustments. The other end of theintermediate member, hereinafter termed the intermediate arm, is bent at 19 to follow in general the curvature of the cam cylinder and is then bent, at 20 to extend in the general direction of the radiusiof the cam cylinder, the portion 20 terminating in a semi-circular head 21 which, rides, normally, in the groove 4 in engagement with, the flange 8 or" the cam cylinder but which, whenthe intermediate arm 17 is moved inwardly (as will hereinafter be described) will engage. the entrant end portion 5 .of the elevating cam and be thereby raised and delivered into the groove 7 around which it travels until it arrives,

at the exit end 9 of the said groove 7 when it will be delivered into the entrant end 10 of the descending cam and finally, at the end 11 of the descending cam, will be replaced into the groove 4. I

22 is a projection on the intermediate arm 17 on which'is pivoted, at 26, a counterweighted trip 23 having an arm 25 with a foot to engage under the rod 17, see Figure 1, in. which position it is held by the overbalancing force of the vertical projection of the trip ,23zand the, horizontalfinger 2 1 of the trip.

27 designatesthe adjusting arm which is.

made in two parts 27-28 riveted together at 29 in such a way that the part 28 will be held by retaining friction on the part 27 and held to allow for an adjustment of angle between the parts 27 and- 28 to compensate for records of various lengths of pro- 1'0 duction. The adjusting arm has an angled apertured portion 31 by which it issecured at 32 to the sound box adjacent to the needle socket, The underside of the adjusting arm 27 is'rounded, as at 30, and is adapted to have sliding contact, with the intermediate arm 17.

33 and 3e designate ma l; per u es the rod 17 in whichga loop of wire 35 maybe placed, to establish the location, of thesound box at the beginning of the, record, be it a ten or twelve inch record, thus allowing the attachment to be usedfor both sizesof e s- The ound ox, s ndicated y he reference numeral 410 and the tone; arm; by S5 41 and the needle; by 412. The construction of the phonograph proper, pen se, forms-no part of the inventiom as they may be of the standard makes.

In the practical use of, the invention if as it, is desired to play a ten inch; record the loop 35 is piece-d in the holes 33 andithe end 21 of the intermediate arm 17 is placed in the groove 4. The adjusting, arm, pertion 28 is adjustedso as lto; permit; theneedle 12 to continue to the end; of; the sound groove beforethe trip 23; is actuated The needle 42 is. then, placed at the entrance, to the sound groove in the; usual way and the. turn table started The,cont actbetween the adjusting arm 27 and the intermediate arm 7 u ng he. ransition! f theisoundl ere from the beginning to the. ending of the record maintains the head 21 against-the ang 3 a f I am; y i i haa until; e; e 1' isting pe tion ng ges e rip 2 and shsi lQ l1 h full ine o the dot nd sh neip si ien h w-n; in, Figurefir he ocking. of he, h n; 2 ini h s, manne causes its. foot to engage the record within; the inner portionwhere thereare no sound g s a d h ic io hf ueh.enga ement Causes h nterm d ate arm= o hemm d fromlthe full line to the dotted lineposi tionv shown, in Figure 4,, thereby. bringing, us the head 21 into engagementwith} the bedy and into aligmnentwith the entrancejf of the elevating cam, The head 21then rides p the elevating m ands ide i ered int v the top groove. 7, at whiehtime the interr'120 mediate arm 17 will; assume the position shown in dotted lines in- Figure, 2 and causesthe sound box to slide, as indicated r dotted lines in Figure 2, back tothestarting point.

As soon as the end9 of the groove ,7; has been reached the head 21 will pass, down into the entrant end--10 of the desg v lding cam and pass off thebQttOIIpOf theasameat 11 and c n. th. eroove14, th sa r eing the ad 21 rom the-c m and allow g; it

newness to move back out of engagement with the flange 3 due to the pressure exerted by the weight of the sound box'acting as indicated I in Figure 7, thus restoring the needle 2L2 in contact with the record as shown in light full lines in Figure 2. This completes the cycle of operation of the attachment.

When it is desired to change a needle the operator need only hit the intermediate arm 17 to place the head 21 in the groove 7, (it of course being understood that the turn table at this time has been stopped) whereupon h may change the needle without swinging the sound box back away from the record and, upon starting the turn table again, the needle will automatically be brought to its initial position on the record at the commencement of the sound groove.

1:" it is desired to repeat a portion of a record the operator may, at any time, push "the head 21 away from the flange 3 toward the body 1 of the cylinder and hold it there with his finger until the head 21 has been picked up by the ascending cam end 5 when the operation of restoring the needle to the beginning of the sound groove will be automatically conducted.

When it is desired to play the record in the ordinary way, without the use of the repeating attachment, the head 21 may be lifted out of the groove 4 and the attachment swung around the axis of the standard 12 to parallel the side of the cabinet and be out of the way.

In order to adjust the apparatus to the grooves of different records which, of course are not at the same distance from the center, the adjusting arm 28 is provided and it may be swung on its pivot 29 to any angle with regard to the arm 27 proper that may be necessary to compensate for the variations in the records.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention the same is capable of variations and modifications without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims, and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described.

What I claim is:

1. A repeating attachment for disk phonographs, comprising a cam element having provisions to be set over the turn table spindle and turn with the same, a standard, an intermediate arm mounted on the standard and having a finger engaging said cam element. a trip on said arm, and means on the phonograph sound box to slidably engage said arm and adapted to engage said trip to set it into and out of contact with the record disk, said cam element having a circular bottom groove, and an ascending and a descending cam.

2. The combination with a sound reproducing instrument comprising a rotating spindle, a record disk on said spindle and a sound box arranged to traverse said disit, of a caring member for said sound box located i operative relation with said disk, a cam elen'ient mounted on said spindle and provided with connected elevating and depressing cam-ways, a trip on said bearing member, and means operable by said sound box for throwing said trip into engagement with the record to cause said bearing member to engage the elevating camavay oi said cam member.

3. The combination with a sound repro ducing instrument comprising a rotating spindle, a record disk on said spindle and a sound box arranged to traverse said disk, of a bearing member for said sound box located in operative relation with said dish, a cam element mounted on said spindle and pro vided with connected elevating and depressing cairn and means operable by engagement with the record and controlled by the sound box for bringing said bearing member into engagement with said ele cam.

4. A repeating attachment for disk phonographs, comprising an element which is adapted to be mounted on the disk over the turn table spindle and rotate with the same, a second element attached to the base of the machine, an intermediate element attached to the second element and adapted to automatically engage with the first element, a trip on said intermediate element adapted to engage the record and thereby cause the engagement of the intermediate element with the first element, and means governed by the movement of the sound box for oper ating said trip, said first element having provisions for elevating the adjacent end of said intermediate element when the intermediate element is engaged with the first element, substantially as specified.

5. A repeating attachment for disk phonographs, comprising member having a bottom circular run-way, a top spiral runway and ascending and descending eam ways cooperative with said runway, at standard, an intermediate arm universally mounted at one end on said standard and having a projection to engage said first mentioned member i t 1e run-ways and camways or" the same, means normally holding said arm in the bottom run-way out of engagement with the cam-ways of said first mentioned member, and other means for moving the free end or" said intermediate arm to engage .the elevating cam-way o1 said first mentioned member. substantially as shown and described.

6. A repeating attachment for disk phonographs, comprising a cam element adapted to be set over the turn table spindle of the phonagraph and rotate with the turn table and record,- said cam element having a bottom circular run-Way, an elevating cam-Way and a descending camavay, a standard, an intermediate arm universally mounted at one end on said standard and having its free end provided with a projection to engage in said circular runway, means operating nnder the influence of the Weight of the sound box for holding said tree end against engagement with said elevating cam While the record is being played and means operable by the motion of the record and controlled by the positionoit the sound box for bringing the free end of said intermediate arm into alignment with the ascending cam of said cam element.

7. A repeating attachment for disk phonographs, comprising essentially a cam ele ment rotatable with the turn table, a fixed standard, an intermediate arm carried at one end by said standard and having the other end engaging said cam element, an adjusting arm movable with the sound be}; across the record and in engagement with said intermediate arm, and means controlled by said adjusting arm and operable by engagement with the record for bringing the free end of said intermediate arm into elevating. engagement with said cam element, at times.

8. In a repeating. attachment for phonographs a .cam element adapted to be placed over the turn table spindle and on the record to turn With the same, saidcam element having a bottom horizontal path an elevating cani, a-descending cam and a spiral groove from the exit end of the ascending cam to the entrant end of the de seending cam, a standard including a screw, an intermediate arm universally mounted on said screw for up and doWn and lateral adjustments, the free end of said intermediate arm having a finger cooperating with said cam element an adjusting arm movable With the sound box of the phonograph instrument and adapted to engage said intermediate arm to hold it-out oi the path of the elevating cam of the cam element, a trip on said intermediate arm and adapted to be engaged by said adjusting arm to itself engage the record and thereby move the free end of said intermediate arm to the path of the elevating cam on said cam element for the purposes described.

HARRY LAWRENCE MILLER. 

